Originally Posted by Chris

Even Arthur Scargill was capable of giving a measured, thoughtful performance under forensic TV interview. Here’s a good example from 1984, worth watching in full (albeit difficult to follow given the technicalities of coal mining in Britain are no longer part of everyday discourse )

Nevertheless, put him on a picket line and he would scream and shout like the Trot he was (presumably still is).

Scargill was at least explicit about his desire to bring down a democratically elected government. Mick Lynch just seems content to do his bit to kick Boris while he’s down, and while it’s hard not to be sympathetic with that aim, the fact is it’s not his job to play politics or hold the country to ransom.

Incidentally, if you think resurrecting Scargill and the miners’ strike is a bit OTT, you should listen to the opening interviews on yesterday’s WatO on BBC R4. Their academic talking head managed to drop ‘Thatcherism’ and ‘Scargill’ into the debate within his first 30 seconds.